20 public K-12 schools in Federal Way from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
20 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Federal Way's 20 public schools is Federal Way High School, scoring 24/100, against a city average of 35.8/100. Computed live across every Federal Way campus reporting to NCES.
How the Federal Way Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Federal Way, WA enrolls 12,463 students across 20 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 18.3:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 35.8/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Federal Way on this index is Federal Way High School, at 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,665 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Federal Way spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Federal Way school enrollment varies 98× across entities
Federal Way school enrollment ranges from 17 students (lowest) to 1,665 students (highest), a spread of 1,648 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Federal Way has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 64.1% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Federal Way operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Federal Way school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Federal Way student-teacher ratio is 18.3:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Federal Way
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Federal Way is Federal Way High School with a quality score of 24/100. There are 20 public schools in Federal Way with 12,463 total students.
How many schools are in Federal Way, WA? ▼
Federal Way has 20 public schools with a total enrollment of 12,463 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 18.3:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
